Abstract:In order to understand the effect of light intensity on the growth and biomass allocation of Illicium difengpi seedlings, the changes in morphological characteristics and biomass of seedlings at different classes were studied under different shading treatments. The results showed that the plant height, crown width and mean leaf area of seedlings under shading were significantly higher than those under control, while the specific leaf area decreased significantly with increasing of light intensity. The root length of seedlings with different classes under full light were significantly higher than those under shading, except for 50% shading of I-class seedlings. With increasing of light intensity, the root biomass ratio and root to crown ratio of seedlings at all classes increased significantly, and the leaf biomass ratio decreased significantly; seedlings at different classes showed strong adaptability to both high and low light environments, but the total biomass was the biggest under 50% shading, and smaller under full light and 85% shading. The size of seedlings under shading was positively correlated with their initial size, while the difference between II-and I-class seedlings was small, and the growth of III-class seedlings was poor. The number of I-class seedlings was less than 10% under artificial nursery conditions, and the poor seedling quality superimposed on the harsh environment of karst summits might be an important reason for the limitation of its field seedling regeneration. Therefore, it was advisable to use first and secondary seedlings in field regression and artificial cultivation, and to control the light intensity at about 50% light transmission.

Abstract:In order to understand the gene information of flavonoids and their synthase in Cymbopogon citratu, the metabolome, transcriptome and qRT-PCR were studied by using young leaves of C. citratu growing in sunlight and shade. The results showed that C. citratus contained 69 flavonoids belonging to 11 kinds. The contents of flavonoids, such as rutin, demethyltorosaflavone, astragalin and glucosylorobol etc., decreased under shade environment. The flavonoid biosynthesis involved 10 kinds of enzymes encoded by 54 genes. The expressions of 4 genes, such as F3'H (c99177.1), decreased significantly under shade environment, while those of 6 genes, such as FSI (c51975.0) etc., were opposite. The up-or down-regulation expression trend of 5 flavonoid synthase genes under light and shading was consistent with the change of FPKM in transcriptome sequencing, however, there was difference in the differential expression multiples between the two methods. Therefore, Shading could decrease the relative content of flavonoid in C. citratus, but the relative expression of synthetase genes was irregular whether up or down regulation.

Abstract:In order to investigate the role of TCP transcription factors family of 3-year-old Magnolia sinostellata grafted seedlings under simulated natural shading, the bioinformation of TCP transcription factors were analyzed based on transcriptome data, as well as their expression patterns under shading stress. The results showed that 12 TCPs were identified from the transcriptome data of M. sinostellata, encoding 228-558 amino acids with protein size of 23.7-52.7 kDa. All of 12 TCPs proteins were unstable and hydrophilic. The 12 TCPs located in cell nucleus, and MsTCP12-a/b also located in chloroplast. MsTCPs could be divided into two types, Class I contained 10 TCP members, and Class II with two TCP members. All members contained TCP conserved domains and the closely TCP members had similar conserved motifs. Meanwhile, the TCP promoter sequences of M. sinostellata were cloned and analyzed, which contained a large number of light response elements and hormone response elements. The MsTCPs were differentially expressed under shading treatment. MsTCP9-a, MsTCP2 were significantly up-regulated and MsTCP8, MsTCP9-b, MsTCP7-a, MsTCP15 were significantly down-regulated. Therefore, MsTCPs might play an important role in response to shade stress.

Abstract:To reveal the function and expression pattern of DELLA genes in Camellia oleifera, five DELLA genes, named CoDELLA1, CoDELLA2, CoDELLA3, CoDELLA4 and CoDELLA5, were cloned from 'Changlin 4' by PCR technique. The bioimformation of 5 encoding CoDELLA were analyzed, as well as expression patterns of 5 CoDELL and hormone response activities. The results showed that the CDS length of five CoDELLA genes were 1 791, 1 875, 1 848, 1 593 and 1 581 bp, encoding 597, 625, 616, 531 and 527 amino acids, respectively. The amino acid sequences of the five CoDELLA proteins were highly similar, and serine residues were the main potential phosphorylation sites. The N-terminal of CoDELLA proteins all contained typical DELLA domains. There were differences in the phylogeny of DELLA proteins from different species, CoDELLA had the highest homology with CsDELLA in C. sinensis. The expression of CoDELLA gene in different tissues was also different, which was regulated by various hormones and abiotic stresses such as gibberellin and aurolactone. Therefore, it was suggested that CoDELLA genes might play important role in the growth of C. oleifera and response to abiotic stress.

Abstract:Green teas processed from shoots of albino tea varieties have an umami taste and premium qualities. In order to explore the taste quality and metabolite differences of green tea made from fresh leaves of albino and etiolated tea varieties, sensory evaluation and metabolite analysis were studied on 6 albino green tea varieties (milk white tea, NB) and 14 etiolated green tea varieties (golden tea, HJY) in Guangde City. Sensory evaluation showed that NB green teas taste fresh and convergence was slightly weak; the taste of HJY green tea had strong convergence and the freshness was lower than that of NB green tea. The total amount of free amino acids and the content of free amino acids with fresh and sweet taste in NB green teas were significantly higher than those in HJY green teas, while the contents of catechins and gallic acids contributing to convergence and the contents of bitter caffeine in NB green tea were significantly lower than those in HJY green teas. The partial least squares discriminant analysis showed that there were 7 signature compounds leading to the taste difference between the two green teas, which were theanine, arginine, glutamic acid, aspartate, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epicatechin gallate and theobromine. The contribution of EGCG with the highest dose-over-threshold (Dot) to the flavor of HJY green tea was significantly higher than that of NB green tea. Therefore, the differences in contents of free amino acids, catechins, gallic acids and theophylline caused the different taste of albino and etiolated tea varieties.

Abstract:To select new Actinidia varieties with good storage and flavor quality, the quality and storability of three wild varieties 'kvf54', 'kvf6' and 'Xinmei' of A. deliciosa and three cultivated varieties 'Qinmei', 'Huamei' and 'Xuxiang' were compared and analyzed. The results showed that under room temperature and 1℃ storage, the hardness of 'kvf54' and 'Xuxiang' decreased in a similar trend, which was better than other varieties, and 'kvf54' had the highest content of vitamin C (V_C). However, under the same storage conditions, the soluble solids content of 'Xinmei' accumulated the fastest, the starch and titratable acid contents were the least, showing poor storage performance. Therefore, compared with other varieties, 'kvf54' had better storability, higher contents of V_C and sugar, so it was a high-quality variety that could be used to breed new storage-tolerant varieties.

Abstract:Hybridization is one of the traditional methods to breed new cultivars, pollen viability is important for the successful transmission of genetic material to generations.Glycyrrhiza inflata is one of the three licorice species recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia, with many specialized active compounds. In order to determine the optimal pollen development periods for licorice hybridization, the pollen viability of five bloom stages (a, b, c, d, and e) of two G. inflata cultivars (GJJ-7 and GJJ-9) were measured by TTC staining and in vitro pollen germination methods. The result of TTC staining method showed that the pollen viability of GJJ-7 trended in a wave pattern and peaked at a and d stages. The pollen viability of GJJ-9 increased with the opening process of petals, and peaked at e stage. But the result of in vitro pollen germination method showed that the pollen viability of both GJJ-7 and GJJ-9 was highest at c stage, which was consistent with fruiting rate in the hybridization, and further indicating the higher reliability of the in vitro germination method compared with the TTC staining. Hybridization results of the three medicinal licorice species showed that a low fruiting rate but highest seed germination rate was obtained when G. glabra cultivars S-7 and S-12 were used as the female parents. High fruiting rate but low seed germination rate was observed when G. uralensis cultivar GDN-16 was used as the female parent, indicating the importance of parent selection during licorice hybridization. These provides an important reference for improving the field hybridization efficiency of licorice.

Abstract:To understand the roles of antimicrobial peptides expressed in microalgae for aquaculture, expression vectors containing Cath-1a (from rainbow trout) gene were constructed and introduced to Nannochloropsis oceanica, N. limnetica and Phaeodactylum tricornutum, respectively. Randomly selected transformants were confirmed by PCR and Western Blot. Positive clones were used for the in vitro bacteriostatic experiments, and some lines were used as additives to feed zebrafish in order to test the effect of different nutrients on the immune system of fish. The results showed that all the three algal strains had successfully expressed exogenous antimicrobial peptides. Only P. tricornutum showed a bacteriostatic effect on Edwardsiella tarda, a common pathogenic bacterium in aquaculture, and there was no significant difference in the bacteriostatic effect between the wild-type and transformants of the three species of microalgae. The growth of zebrafish fed with algae as additives had no significant difference compared with the control (without additives). The expression levels of antioxidant and immune related genes together with the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver of zebrafish indicated that zebrafish fed with additives showed stronger antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ability than the control, and expression of antimicrobial peptides (PtC, a wild-type P. tricornutum strain Pt1 transformant expressing Cath-1a gene) could further enhance the immunity of zebrafish. In addition, the anti-inflammatory capacity of the group with Pt6 (a wild-type P. tricornutum strain with high fucoxanthin content) additives is more significant than that of the group with PtC additives, which indicated that fucoxanthin and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in P. tricornutum might enhance disease resistance of zebrafish.

Abstract:In order to clarify the effect of nano titanium dioxide particles (TiO₂ NPs) on growth of Lactuca sativa, the growth, physiological and biochemical indexes of L. sativa were studied treated with TiO₂ NPs (300-1 200 mg/L) by using a self-designed hydroponic device. The results showed that the root length, stem length, leaf surface area, fresh weight and dry weight of seedlings increased treated with 300 mg/L TiO₂ NPs. With the increasing of TiO₂ NPs concentration, the growth indexes showed a downward trend, but still higher than those of the control group. The activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, POD) in L. sativa decreased significantly at low TiO₂ NPs concen-tration (300 mg/L). With the increament of TiO₂ NPs concentration, the activities of SOD, POD gradually increased. Therefore, it was suggested that L. sativa has a concentration-dependent effect on TiO₂ stress, showing "promotion at low concentration and inhibition at high concentration". The damage of nanomaterials of L. sativa could be reduced by its antioxidant enzyme system.

Abstract:To explore the ecological adaptation of selfing plant Caulokaempferia coenobialis to the special habitat, hanging on rock walls, the reproductive allocation in different phenological stages and different habitats was studied. The results showed that in the process of reproductive growth, the biomass allocation for vegetative growth of C. coenobialis was overwhelmingly high, while the biomass allocation for reproduction was relatively small (less than 13%). Of all the modules, the biomass allocation of rhizomes and leaves accounted for the larger proportion (24.22%-43.25%). In population with weak light, the biomass allocation to leaves was significantly higher than that of population with strong light to obtain more resources, while the biomass allocation to rhizomes was significantly lower than that of population with strong light. With the phenological phase, the reproductive allocation of C. coenobialis increased and reached the maximum at the fruiting stage. There was no significant difference in biomass allocation to reproductive components among different populations and different years, suggesting that the reproduction allocation of C. coenobialis might be controlled by heredity factors. Individual size and rhizomes biomass significantly increased with linear function of isogony growth, while there was no significant correlation between plant size and reproductive allocation in YTH population, and they followed the low of isogony growth in SP and TTD populations, but the coefficient of determination was less than 40%. Therefore, Caulokaempferia coenobialis could effectively adjust its biomass allocation in different habitats to adapt to the special habitat of rock wall epiphytes, and increase the biomass allocation of leaves and reduce the biomass allocation of rhizomes to improve resource acquisition ability in populations with weak light. As a whole, the biomass invested in vegetative components accounted for more than 87%, and that in reproductive components remained stable between populations and years. In this reproductive strategy, on the one hand, higher investment in vegetative components can obtain more resources; on the other hand, stable investment in reproductive component can benefit generation of the population. The coordination between each module can better adapt to the resource-poor habitat of rock walls.

Abstract:To understand the function of microelements on Dodonaea viscosa growth, the effects of micro-elements (B, Fe, Mn, Zn) on the growth and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics were studied. The results showed that all the microelements except Mn significantly promoted the growth and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of D. viscosa (P<0.05). Biomass accumulation of D. viscosa supplemented with B was significantly higher than that of control by 133.61%. Microelement and soil types had significant interactions on leaf P concentration and N/P (P<0.05). The addition of Zn in purple soil and Fe in yellow brown soil significantly reduced the leaf N/P. The plant height, leaf area and biomass accumulation of D. viscosa in dryland red soil and yellow brown soil were higher than those in purple soil, but the root-shoot ratio and leaf N/P of D. viscosa in purple soil and yellow brown soil were significantly higher than those in dryland red soil (P<0.001). Therefore, it was indicated that microelements played an important role of in the growth of D. viscosa in dry-hot valley, and the plant growth could be promoted by adding B, Fe, Zn, especially B during the vegetation restoration process.

Abstract:In order to explore the effects of ecological restoration methods on bryophyte, the species composition in different habitat types in Zhongliangshan Karst area of Chongqing, China under natural abandonment and conversion of farmland to forest, et al. was studied. The results showed that there were 41 species of bryophytes in 15 families and 26 genera, including 39 mosses and 2 liverworts, and Eurohypnum leptotholum was the dominant species. Lithophytic mosses occupy a large proportion, and their life forms are mainly tiled and clustered. The species diversity and similarity index of all habitats were low on the whole. Bryophytes in bamboo forest and Masson pine forest had higher species diversity than those in abandoned weedy land, shrub land and economic forest. Redundancy analysis showed that canopy density and light intensity were the key environmental factors affecting bryophyte distribution, tree forest provided more suitable habitats for bryophyte growth. Therefore, compared with natural restoration and economic forest restoration, returning farmland to forest was a more ideal ecological restoration method for karst degraded habitats.

Abstract:In order to understand the current situation of alien plants in South China, 223 species of alien plants belonging to 141 genera and 45 families were identified by field investigation and literature review, mainly composed of Asteraceae (38 species), Fabaceae (36 species) and Poaceae (19 species). The herbs and plants native to the Americas dominated, with 204 herbs (91.5% of the total) and 163 plants (73.1%), respectively. There were 159 invasive and 23 naturalized plants in Guangdong, 135 invasive and 16 naturalized plants in Guangxi, 111 invasive and 15 naturalized species in Hainan, 105 invasive and 9 naturalized plants in Hong Kong, 89 invasive and 4 naturalized species in Macao. Among them, there are 57 alien invasive and naturalized plants commonly distributed in the 5 provinces and regions of South China (55 invasive and 2 naturalized species). Guangdong has the largest number of alien species, meantime, and the largest number of alien invasive and naturalized species share with the other four provinces and regions, indicating that Guangdong is the major input and output province for alien plants. Due to the similarity of climate and ecological habitats in South China, each province is at risk of invasion by other species from surrounding areas, therefore, when controlling invasive plants, joint monitoring, prevention and control mechanism should be established, so as to improve the control efficiency of alien invasive plants and reduce the threat to human health and ecological safety.

Abstract:Heliacria Bo Li, C.L. Xiang, T.S. Hoang & Nuraliev and H. maritima Bo Li, C.L. Xiang, T.S. Hoang & Nuraliev, a new genus and a new species of Scutellarioideae (Lamiaceae) endemic to coastal areas of south-central Vietnam, are described and illustrated. Heliacria is distinct from the other five genera of Scutellarioideae by having climbing habit, large flowers with pure white corolla, sub-actinomorphic calyx with five long lobes which are accrescent and spreading in fruits, and nutlets radially tuberculate at apex. The genus is currently only known from four provinces of Vietnam (Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, and Ninh Thuan).

Abstract:In order to explore the antibacterial metabolites of endophytic Aspergillus sp. HU0206, seven compounds were obtained from the corn fermentation of endophytic Aspergillus sp. HU0206 isolated from Spinifex littoreus using chromatographic separation method. On the basis of spectral data, they were identified as six methylphenol derivatives, such as sydowiol F (1), 5-methoxy-3,5'-dimethyl-2,3'-oxybiphenyl-1,1',2'-triol (2), corynesidone A (3), pyrolin (4), 3-hydroxylpyrolin (5), 4-ethoxy-3-hydroxymethylphenol (6), and a methylcy-clohexanone, epoxydine A (7). Compound 1 was a new compound. At the dose of 40 μg, compounds 1, 2 and 4 showed obvious antibacterial effects on Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, Pectobacterium atroseptica, and Ralstonia solanacearum with radius of inhibition zone ≥ 2 mm, and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) was 50 or 100 μg/mL. The radius of inhibition zone of compound 3 was 1-2 mm for above bacteria with MIC higher than 400 μg/mL. However, all compounds did not inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli.

Abstract:In order to obtain bioactive metabolites from Pogostemon cablin endophytic fungus, seven secondary metabolites were isolated and purified from the patchouli endophytic fungus Ogataea sp. RW-S10 by various chromatographic column techniques. Based on spectral data, their structures were identified as ogataearin (1), phenylalaninol (2), parahydroxyacet-ophenone (3), bis(dethio)bis(methylsulfanyl)gliotoxin (4), N-phenylethyl acetamide (5), lumichrome (6), and dehydroxypaxilline (7). Compound 1 was a new compound and showed α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ value of 39.38 μmol/L.